Miri's moving day

K-Gr 3--Miri is moving away from the apartment building where she has lived her whole life. To help with the move, grandparents from both sides of the family are there to bring important parts of her cultures to her new home. A mezuzah given by her grandfather Yeh Yeh is hung on the door with the help of Zayde, her other grandfather. Small carved lions are given to her by Zayde, representing the lion statues in front of her former apartment building. Both provide protection for the new house that will one day feel more like home. Back pages explain the cultural and religious meaning behind the two gifts. Chen's illustrations are simple in the attempt to represent the two cultures; perhaps deliberately, the grandfathers' features are very similar until one dons a yarmulke. Although the stone lions outside her building are identified as Chinese, there are no mentions of race or ethnicity; the cultural cues are in words such as mezuzah and Shabbat and the names for the grandparents. Mah Mah and Bubbe, the grandmothers, are silent onlookers throughout. Children will need to read closely to determine the plot twist: the Asian grandfather gives the mezuzah to Miri, while Zayde, wearing a yarmulke, offers the carved lions. Full of good intentions, this book attempts to treat both cultures evenly, perhaps at the expense of clarity. VERDICT A flawed but unique perspective of moving to a new home.--Heidi Dechief

Moving stirs up big emotions for a young Jewish Chinese child. Miri blinks back tears; the little one will miss Mah Mah and Yeh Yeh (Cantonese for paternal grandmother and Mandarin/Cantonese for paternal grandfather, respectively), who look after Miri while Mom and Dad are at work. Miri will also miss the stone Chinese lions outside the family's apartment. But as everyone packs up the furniture, Yeh Yeh and Miri's other grandfather, Zayde (Yiddish for grandfather), take Miri out for ice cream. Yeh Yeh gives Miri a beautiful mezuzah case and explains, "There are no stone lions to guard your new apartment building, but you can hang this mezuzah at your door." Zayde supplies the scroll to place inside, and they all head to Miri's new apartment. The whole family gathers as Zayde says the special blessing; then they hang the mezuzah above the front door. Later, Zayde has another surprise for Miri: a pair of small carved red lions. Miri is adorable, but other characters are less consistent in their depiction from page to page, and details in the text aren't always fleshed out (Mah Mah and Yeh Yeh were Miri's caregivers before, so what will happen in their new home?). Nonetheless, the family's love is palpable, and readers will appreciate how all four grandparents work to honor Miri's heritage--Yeh Yeh mentions learning about mezuzahs from Zayde, while Bubbe (Miri's maternal grandmother) and Mah Mah both prepare Shabbat dinner. A sweet story of a family blending traditions. (authors' note, glossary)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.